That Other Woman
by RkieFan
Summary: Things that we didn't see in S-2 episode 'The Late Mr. Brent.' This story starts after the scene in which Jill talks to Lt. Ryker. Contains spoilers from episode. Rated M for safety. Two-shot. The episode aired in January of '74, so my timeline is following that of the episode.
1. Chapter 1--That Brent Woman

**That Other Woman **

**Disclaimers: I don't own 'The Rookies.' If I did, it would be substantially updated.**

**Summary: Things that we didn't see in S-2 episode 'The Late Mr. Brent.' This story starts after the scene in which Jill talks to Lt. Ryker. Contains spoilers from episode. Rated M for safety. Two-shot. The episode aired in January of '74, so my timeline is following that of the episode.**

**A/N #1: This was NOT one of my favorite episodes. As me and my friend Sheila put it, it's like a train wreck that you can't stop watching. Mike made so many mistakes in this episode, but Jill made just as many by just standing by, rolling over, and playing dead. Why didn't she fight harder?**

**A/N #2: Lately I've been writing 'Castle' fanfic, so if my writing seems different, that's why. I have to remind myself that Jill Danko isn't Kate Beckett.**

Chapter 1: That Brent Woman

When Jill Danko walked through the front door of the apartment that afternoon, she was emotionally exhausted. When Lt. Ryker had walked into the nurses' lounge earlier that afternoon her heart had almost stopped. He still didn't sometimes understand how his presence could sometimes unnerve her. The lieutenant wasn't one to make social calls.

Instead, he'd started asking her questions. Personal questions. Questions about _that woman_. Jill hated even thinking her name. Damn Mike! Why did he always have to play the hero? First with her, and now with _that woman_. Jill found herself wondering if the real attraction was the little boy. _That woman _had a three-year-old son. Jill's hand traveled down to her abdomen. The pain of the miscarriage was still so raw. For both of them. They both had nightmares about it. Mike never talked about how badly he'd wanted the baby, but she could see it every time they saw a child in the market or when they were out somewhere.

She looked at the clock, sighing when she saw the time. She knew that she needed to get up and start dinner. But as she got up to go to the kitchen, she found herself wondering if Mike would be on time tonight or if he'd go to see _her_, which had been happening more and more often lately.

Jill wondered if his spending so much time with _that woman _was her fault. Maybe she didn't do enough in the bedroom. Mike had always told her before that he didn't mind that she didn't perform oral sex on him, but what if he'd been lying all this time? It was like her old aunts had told her so long ago; if men didn't get their needs satisfied by one woman, they'd find another woman. They told her that was why some men paid for it.

She shook her thoughts from her brain before going into the kitchen to start dinner. She was cutting carrots when she heard Mike's key in the front door. "Hi, baby," he walked into the kitchen and kissed her. "How was your day?"

"It was okay. I'm glad to see you home on time," she continued cutting carrots.

Mike sighed as he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. He knew that Jill was struggling with how she felt about this whole Brent situation. He was, too. He'd been struggling even since the night he'd shot Howard Brent when they were after another man. They still hadn't determined why Brent, a used car salesman, was in that house that night. After being shown mug shots of the other two men who were supposed to be in the house, Pip Brent claimed that she'd never seen either man in her life. She was nothing more than a scared widow left with a three-year-old son. Mike felt sorry for her, but he knew that his true allegiance was to Jill. But, Pip didn't have Jill's perseverance. Jill had been beat down by life, but she'd managed to pull herself up and keep going. Pip, on the other hand, seemed so scared and vulnerable. It broke Mike's heart.

But looking at his wife, his heart broke even more. He knew that she was scared, too. Jill's emotions had always been easy to read and now was no exception. He put his beer down on the counter and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"Mike, I just feel like I've been thrown in deep water and the sharks are circling. I know that you love me. But I wonder if this is happening because of me."

"Hey, nothing has happened," he turned her around to face him. "How can you think that my helping someone out is your fault?"

"Mike, at first I understood that you were doing this to help her, but it's been weeks now. Nobody is that helpless!"

"Jill, she'll get her act together soon. I promise."

Jill sighed as she pulled out of Mike's grasp. How could he be so damn obtuse? She'd never met _that woman_, but she knew what her number was. Her number was about six feet tall, with brown hair, and brilliant blue-green eyes. Her number was wearing a gold wedding band that Jill had placed on his finger. So, she'd be damned if _that woman _was going to get her mitts on Mike. At least not without one hell of a cat fight. She hadn't gotten into a hair pulling, girl fight since middle school, but Jill was so ready.

Later that night, Mike was lying in bed reading a magazine while Jill was in the shower. He couldn't help thinking about Pip Brent. He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear Jill's question. "So, what's she like?" She called out from the bathroom.

"What's who like?" He called back.

"Mrs. Brent. What's the real Mrs. Brent like?"

He sighed. She had been on this tangent all night. It was obvious that she'd been upset, but she refused to talk about what had her so upset. This dance had been going on for more than two weeks now. He didn't understand why Jill was so jealous. It wasn't like he was sleeping with Pip Brent. He'd never do that. However, he knew that he was treading on shaky ground. Pip was getting far too dependent on him. It had gotten to the point where she was calling and having him stop by her little house for the smallest of things now. Calling him over to ask questions that she could easily ask over the phone. He'd tried to explain to her that he had a wife.

He looked up from his magazine when Jill came into the bedroom with her hairbrush in her hand. "I'll just be glad when it's over," she said as he watched her brush her long dark hair.

"Do you want to talk about what's on your mind?" He sat up.

"No. I'll just be glad when she's settled. When do you think she'll be settled?"

"I don't know. I guess she'll be settled when she's settled."

"You just don't tell me very much about her. Is she pretty?" She continued brushing her hair.

"Yeah, she's very pretty," he admitted without a second thought.

The brush froze in Jill's hands. Was he fucking kidding? "Oh," she finally said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just 'oh.' You know? Oh," she went back into the bathroom.

"You're not jealous, are you?" He called out to her.

"No, I'm not jealous! I'll let you know if I'm jealous." She stood in front of the bathroom mirror for another two minutes, silently fuming. She couldn't believe that Mike had actually admitted that _that woman _was pretty. "Mike?"

"What?" She could hear the irritation in his voice. He hadn't even _seen _irritated yet.

She came to the bathroom doorway and stood there looking at him, her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm jealous," she admitted in a small voice.

He pulled the blankets back so that she could get in bed. When she got in, he pulled the blankets over her and moved closer to her. "You've got no reason to be," he told her in a quiet voice.

"I can give you a couple," she looked up at him. "She's young and vulnerable. She has a three-year-old son. She's pretty."

"I just feel like I owe her something because if it wasn't for me, she wouldn't be in this position."

"Okay, I can accept that. I can," she looked at him. "But, I need to know a couple of things. A, does she know that you're a happily married man, and B, are you a happily married man?"

"I'm a happily married man," he whispered as he stroked her hair back from her face. "I just can't comprehend a world without you in it. I hope that qualifies as an answer."

"Just don't take too long to repay this debt that you think you owe her," she warned him. 

"I hear you," he kissed her, pulling her toward him as she quickly forgot everything else.

***MJMJMJ***

Jill had gone to the market the next morning when the guys showed up. "Jill was driving me crazy last night," Mike complained as he poured another cup of coffee. "She decided that she wanted to play '20 Questions' at 11 o'clock last night."

"What was she asking you?" Willie asked, although he strongly suspected.

"Questions about Pip Brent. I keep telling her that nothing's going on! Why doesn't she believe me?"

"Maybe it's because you've been spending more time with Pip Brent than you've been spending at home," Terry suggested as Willie nodded in agreement.

"I've been helping her get on her feet," Mike argued back.

"Mike, there are agencies for that. All you had to do was give her a few phone numbers and go on your merry way. It's not like you don't know this. It's not like you haven't done it before. Jill almost died three months ago. She lost a baby that the two of you wanted very badly. I'm sure that she's feeling a little insecure right now."

"Terry, she doesn't have a reason to feel insecure," Mike looked at his friends as if they'd just grown a second head.

"So, what was she asking you?" Willie asked.

"All kinds of stuff. She asked me if Pip was pretty."

"What did you tell her?" Terry looked at Willie, who gave him the same expression. The one that said they hoped Mike had told his wife that Pip Brent was a dog.

"I told her that Pip was pretty."

"Oh man, you didn't," Terry closed his eyes and shook his head. The guy had worked in a missile silo and flown more than 200 missions in a helicopter over Southeast Asia. How could he be so stupid when it came to women?

"Mike, that's one of those questions that you never answer honestly!" Willie told him. "It's like when your girl asks you if a pair of pants makes her look fat. You always lie." 

"Man, you must be planning on _never _having sex again," Terry continued shaking his head.

"You guys are as bad as she is! Why would I lie about the girl being pretty? I'm not fucking her!"

"At least not right now," Terry looked at him pointedly.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"Honestly?" Willie asked as Mike nodded. "Right now, Jill's. Because you're thinking with the wrong body part."

"I think you guys need to leave," he walked over and opened the door to them.

"I have one word for you, Michael," Terry said as he and Willie walked to the door. "Chocolate. Lots of it."

"I _haven't _done anything wrong," he said through clenched teeth, closing the door behind his friends.

He walked over and sat on the sofa, burying his head in his hands. Guilt had always been his biggest problem lately. He'd find himself waking up beside Jill in the middle of the night or early in the morning, thanking God that he still had her, but at the same time regretting the choices he'd made that October night. Now, because of shots that he'd fired into a darkened room, a man was dead. A man who by all intents and purposes had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Much like he and Jill that night.

He'd killed a man, leaving a 25-year-old woman a widow. A widow with a three-year-old son. A boy that would never know his father. When he looked at Pip, she reminded him so much of Jill. The Jill that he'd first met in that bar over five years before. But he had to tell himself that Pip wasn't Jill. And right now, he also knew that his friends were right. He was on duty that evening. He knew that he had to pay one final visit to the widow Brent and tell her that he couldn't help her any longer. It was time for her to start making her own way. He knew that she could do it. He just had to get through to her that she was much tougher than she realized.

***MJMJMJ***

Working in the ER, Jill was on her break that evening when her friend Jackie Greenfield came into the lounge. Jackie made herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with her friend, who she couldn't help but notice seemed to be down in the dumps for the last several days. "I can't help noticing that you've seemed a little off your game for a while. Do you want to talk about it?" Jackie asked, stirring her coffee.

"I don't even know where to start," Jill sighed as she closed her eyes.

"Well, the beginning is always a good place," Jackie smiled at her.

Jill spilled her guts about Mike and the whole Pip Brent thing. After she finished, she looked at her friend as Jill fought not to cry. "I just feel like this woman is taking advantage of Mike and he's not seeing it. I keep thinking that maybe it's my fault."

"How can it be your fault? You haven't done anything to push Mike in her direction. And, Lt. Ryker's right. I think he'll work it out. I've seen him around you, Jill. That man is completely over-the-top crazy about you."

"I don't know. I just want her to disappear."

"GSW coming in," one of the other nurses popped her head into the room.

"Back to work," both women got up and went back to the floor.

The gurney carrying a young woman came in moments later, but Jill was shocked when she saw Mike coming in behind the gurney carrying a small boy in his arms. His eyes met Jill's. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who the woman on the gurney was. The question was how had she gotten shot and how was Mike involved?

"You were with her?" Jill asked him.

"Yeah, but I can explain—"

"Save it!" She turned and went into the trauma room, leaving Mike alone with Jackie.

"It's not what it looks like," he said in a small voice.

"It never is, Mike," Jackie said before turning and following Jill.

"Well buddy, it looks like I'm in the doghouse," Mike looked at the small boy in his arms.

After about an hour, Jill came out of the trauma room. "She got hit in the shoulder. It went straight through, but they're going to take her to surgery to clean the wound and stitch it up. She's going to be okay. She was lucky. Where were you when it happened?" She asked as Mike followed her down the hallway, still with little Howie in his arms. "I see that you're attached to her kid."

"Jill—"

"Mike, Jill, why don't I take this young man and see if I can find him something to eat," Jackie volunteered as Mike handed Howie over to her. "Whatever you have to say about his m-o-m-m-y you don't need to be saying in front of him," she looked pointedly at Mike.

"Why were you over there, Mike? You were supposed to be working."

"She called the precinct and left a message asking to see me—"

"Let's go over here," she said as she led him into the lounge. "The last time I checked, I was the one that you were married to! I'm the one that you're supposed to drop everything for when _I _call! She got shot, Michael! Where in the hell were you when it happened?"

"Standing right next to her," he admitted sheepishly.

"It could've been you! That bullet could've gone into you instead of her! I could be getting a visit from Lt. Ryker right about now! What does she do that I don't do? What is the fucking attraction, Mike? Tell me and I'll do whatever it is!"

"It's not like that, Jill."

"Then tell me what it is then. Is it the kid? When the time is right, I'd love to get pregnant again. I thought that you were okay with that."

"Baby, no."

"I can't even look at you right now," she turned and stormed from the room.

He knew that she was scared, but again, nothing had happened. Well, not exactly nothing. He _had _kissed her. He'd kissed her right before Pete Martin opened fire on them, on _both _of them. Jill was going to flip when she learned that little tidbit. He looked toward the door when Ryker, Willie and Terry walked in. "We need your statement," Ryker glared at him.

"You're digging yourself a deep hole, man," Terry told him.

"Go to hell, Webster," Mike said as he brushed past them and left with Ryker.

"I say we go and find Jill," Willie looked at his partner, who nodded in agreement.

They found her at the nurses' station, rearranging charts that clearly didn't need to be rearranged. "Do you want to talk about it?" Terry asked her.

"Why? You're men. You're just going to take his side."

"Not this time," Terry told her. "Come on, let's get some coffee."

The three of them went to the cafeteria where Jill spilled out her fears and frustrations about everything that had been going on. "This guy isn't the first man he's killed. He's not the first man that has left a wife and children behind. I don't see what's so special about her."

"I don't know. She got under his skin somehow," Willie said.

"The thing is, Mike's bullet might not be the one that killed him. The other bullet belonged to Martin. It could've just as easily been his," Terry added.

"I keep thinking that maybe it's me," she sighed. "Maybe he's really angry about me losing the baby."

"No," Terry was quick to assure her. "That's not even a possibility. I think that Pip—"

"Please don't say her name."

"Okay," Terry smiled. "I think she also saw something in Mike. She saw that part of him that drew you to him and she's latched onto it. I think she's taking advantage of how guilty he feels and she's using it. Jill, you have to fight back."

"Terry's right. If you roll over and play dead, she's going to win. She's the enemy, Jill."

"But, it's like she's an invisible enemy. I took care of her in the ER earlier, but I've never spoken to her. She doesn't even know what I look like."

"Maybe it's time that you changed that. Maybe she should meet you," Terry looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Thanks, guys," she smiled as they each took a hand and squeezed.

"He'll come to his senses, Jill. If not, I'll take a baseball bat to his hard head," Terry offered as Jill laughed.

As she left her two friends, Jill took a deep breath and steeled herself to face the enemy. She'd be damned if this woman was going to get Mike.

**A/N #3: In the next chapter, Jill faces Pip Brent and tries to put things back together.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


	2. Chapter 2--Face to Face With the Enemy

**Disclaimers: Nope.**

**Summary: Jill comes face to face with the enemy and tries to reel Mike back in. Contains spoilers from the episode 'The Late Mr. Brent.'**

**A/N #1: Here's where the M rating is going to come into play. I'm straying away from my set Mike/Jill universe and going in a direction I never thought I'd go. But, if I can do it with one Fan fic universe, I can certainly do it with this one.**

Chapter 2: Face to Face with the Enemy

Jill steeled herself as she stood outside of the room where _that woman_, otherwise known as Pip Brent, was recovering from shoulder surgery. At the moment, all Jill felt was contempt for this woman that was trying to take Mike away from her. But, above all else, first and foremost, she was a professional. She'd fought too hard to make nursing her career to throw it away on a harlot. She took a deep breath to steady her shaking nerves before opening the door and entering the room where her enemy was currently staying.

Pip Brent was just waking up when Jill walked in. "How are you feeling?" Jill asked, forcing herself to be as calm and cheerful as she could.

"A little thirsty," the other woman admitted, watching as Jill filled a cup from a plastic pitcher and put a straw in it before she gave it to her. "Thank you. Where's my little boy? Is he all right?"

"He's fine," Jill told her. "Right now, he's being watched over by a big strong policeman."

"Mike," Pip sighed his name while Jill felt like strangling her with her bare hands. "Would it be all right if I saw Howie?"

"You might want to wait until you get a little more color in your cheeks."

"So, you're saying that the way that I look now, I'd be likely to scare him half to death."

"No, I don't think you'd scare anybody. You're very pretty." Jill cringed at the words. Why in the hell was she telling the other woman that she was pretty? Why couldn't this woman be so ugly that Mike would have to put a paper bag over her head before he fucked her? Why was she even thinking of Mike with _her_? Shit, Jill. Snap out of it. Nurse, professional. Remember? "I just think that maybe you should wait a day or two before he sees you."

That was when Pip saw the name tag and sighed to herself. "Mrs. Danko?" Jill looked at her in surprise. "I saw the name on your badge. I just wanted you to know that nothing happened between me and Mike."

"You should get some rest."

"I don't want to bother you."

"You're not bothering me," Jill was quick to say, although she was thinking that her life would be a lot better right now if a hole opened in the floor and just swallowed up this awful woman. "Please get some rest. Ring if you need anything."

Stepping out of the room, Jill leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths. Taking care of Pip Brent was almost worse than if she were forced to take care of Cleve. She walked toward the nurses' station where she saw Mike playing with Howie. She had to admit that he was a cute little boy with his blond hair and blue eyes. It wasn't his fault that his mother was trying to steal another woman's husband when her own husband was barely cold in the ground.

***MJMJMJ***

The next morning Jill was cleaning up the apartment before she had to leave for work. She looked over at Howie Brent, who was playing in the middle of the living room floor. She still couldn't believe that Mike had conned her into taking the little boy home for the night. All he had to do was look at her with those eyes and she was a total goner.

But the night before had been fun, she smiled to herself. It showed her how things would be when they had their own children. Mike got her on the floor and they both played with the little boy until they finally tired him out. Jill had put a pallet consisting of a thick quilt on their bedroom floor for him to sleep on, so they could hear him if he cried in the middle of the night. But, the little boy proved to be remarkably resilient. He didn't wake up until the alarm had gone off at 6:30 that morning.

After making breakfast, Mike had to leave, but Howie seemed perfectly fine staying with Jill. She couldn't help thinking that if Mike left Jill for Pip, he'd be helping to raise the little boy. 'Would you stop?' She scolded herself. 'Nobody's leaving anybody.' Out loud, she said to Howie, "Howie, come on and let's get your coat on. You're going to play with a bunch of other kids while I'm working. How does that sound?" She smiled at him as he came over and she helped him with his coat.

At the precinct, Mike was sitting in roll call when Terry and Willie sauntered in. "Morning," Terry greeted him. "What time did social services pick up the Brent kid?"

"They didn't," Mike said as he averted his gaze.

"You found a relative?" Willie asked. "I thought she didn't have anybody nearby."

"She doesn't. Her sister lives in Seattle. She's driving in at the end of the week."

"So, what did you do with the kid?" Terry asked before a light bulb went over his head. "Did you take him home with you?"

"It was just for one night."

"And, Jill was okay with this?" Willie added.

"Well, not at first, but I managed to talk her into it." 

"You used those crazy eyes of yours on her, didn't you?" Willie looked at Terry.

Mike shook his head and ignored them. He knew that they didn't approve of his friendship with Pip, but they didn't understand. _Nothing _was going on. "So, were you sure that it was Pete Martin who shot at you last night?" Terry asked.

"Yeah, I saw him before he drove off. I just wish we could find the connection between him and Howard Brent."

At the hospital, Jill was doing some filing when one of her friends entered the room. "So, did you confront her?"

"Did I what-? How did you-?

"Jackie said something about it. Jill, you and Mike are great together. You can't let _that _woman have him."

"I have no intention of letting her have him. And no, I didn't confront her last night. She was still under anesthesia. It wouldn't have been a fair fight."

"I know. You could've put a pillow over her face," the other nurse said as Jill couldn't help but burst out laughing at the mental image.

"I have no intention of letting Pip Brent have my husband, but I also have no intention of going to prison for murder. I have work to do."

Jill entered Pip Brent's room just as she was getting off of the phone. "That was your friend Officer Webster. He was looking for Mike."

"I see," Jill walked over to the bed.

"Mrs. Danko, Mike was saying goodbye to me last night, not goodnight." Jill looked at her as she continued. "He said that he loves you too much."

"Oh," Jill said in a quiet voice.

"I'm not so sure if you should be thanking me or not. If I could've taken him, I would have. But I couldn't."

"That's good to know. I wanted to let you know that we took Howie home with us last night. So, you don't have to worry about him."

"I talked to my sister this morning. She'll be here at the end of the week when I'm released to take us with her back to Seattle. I'm sure that you're relieved."

"Oh, you have no idea," Jill gave her an icy smile.

Jill left before she took her colleague's suggestion about putting the pillow over her face. But she was relieved to know that Mike hadn't crossed over to the dark side. At least she knew that he still loved her and only her. But what if she lost him to the next woman who came along? What if he wasn't strong enough to resist the next time? She had to take heed of her old aunts' advice. If she didn't do what she had to do to keep him, she'd end up losing him. After all, it wasn't like she didn't know how to do _that_. Cleve had been rather fond of describing her skills in that area to the bikers in rather vulgar terms. She'd been on the receiving end of Mike's attention in that area many times. Maybe it was time to show him just _what_ she was capable of.

She was surprised when she stopped by the playroom and learned that Howie had already been picked up by someone. She knew that Mike had left work early to go to a dentist appointment. She wondered if he'd picked Howie up and just hadn't told her. But, that didn't sound like Mike. She walked into the apartment to the phone ringing and no Mike or Howie. She answered the phone in the bedroom.

"May I speak to Mike Danko, please?"

"He isn't here. May I ask whose calling?" Jill asked.

"This is Pete Martin."

Jill knew that the police had been looking for Martin. Terry and Willie had told her that Martin was the person who had shot at Pip and Mike the night before. She heard the front door open. "Mike?" She called out.

"Yeah," he came back into the bedroom.

"It's Pete Martin," she held the receiver out to him.

Listening to Mike's side of the conversation, Jill became filled with fear. It was obvious that Martin had taken Howie and now wanted to meet Mike to make a trade. She heard Mike saying something about the Rose Bowl. He hung up and retrieved his off-duty weapon and began loading it. "What're you going to do?" She asked, watching him.

"I'm going to meet him."

"Mike, he's going to kill you. Call the precinct!"

"No. He told me to come alone. I have to go get Howie back."

"Mike, if something happens to you, where does that leave me?" She followed after him as he walked toward the front door.

He turned and looked at her, seeing the raw terror that was written all over her face. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, feeling her tremble. After a minute, he pulled away and cupped her face tenderly. He mouthed 'I love you' before walking out the front door. Jill walked over to the phone and quickly dialed the precinct. Luckily, Terry was nearby. "Jill, what's wrong?"

"Pete Martin just called. He took the Brent boy and he's told Mike to meet him at the Rose Bowl. Terry, he's luring him there to kill him!"

"Okay, calm down. We're on it. It's going to be okay."

"Hurry, Terry!" She begged him.

What followed was quite possibly the two longest hours of Jill's life. She paced, she sat and rocked, she prayed. She wondered why she'd stopped smoking grass. She looked at the phone, willing it to ring. She looked at the door, willing the sound of Mike's key in the lock. She twisted her wedding ring as she waited. Finally, after what seemed an interminable amount of time, she heard Mike's key. She jumped up and ran to the front door, lunging herself at him when he walked into the apartment. "Hey, baby," he held her. "I'm okay."

"Where's Howie? Is he okay?"

"He's fine. We all decided that it would be best if we allowed social services to take Howie until his mom gets out of the hospital."

"But you're okay?"

"I'm fine," he smiled at her.

"Don't you _ever _do that to me again!" She slapped his chest before bursting into tears.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he slipped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "Don't cry."

"I can't lose you, Mike. Not to _that _woman and not like today."

"You weren't going to lose me to her."

"Mike, you were with her constantly! Try to see it through my eyes! How would you have felt if I was spending every spare minute with another man?"

"I'm sure that I wouldn't like it," he looked at her as she shot him a look. "Okay, I _know _Iwouldn't like it. I'm sorry."

"Please stop telling me that you're sorry. Howard Brent was in the company of a criminal. He was guilty by association. When you shot him, you were doing your job. You have a habit of carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. She read the guilt on your face just like you'd read a cheap novel. There's no doubt in my mind that she was scared. I'm sure I would be if I was in that position, but she used your guilt against you." 

"What am I going to have to do to make this up to you?" He looked at her sheepishly.

"More than you want to know," she grinned back as he pulled her close and kissed her. "Buying me dinner is a good start."

"Let me shower and change first," he walked back toward their bedroom.

***MJMJMJ***

"Hey, I'm a nice girl," Jill turned toward her husband after the elevator carrying Pip Brent and her son began its descent.

"That you are," he smiled, kissing her softly. "I need to go back on duty. Dinner tonight?"

"Okay," she nodded as he hit the button to go downstairs. "Be careful. I love you."

"I love you, too."

The last three days had been a rollercoaster of apologies and rediscovering. The night that Mike had almost gotten killed at the Rose Bowl, they had sat up late talking.

_He opened a bottle of wine and walked over with two glasses, handing one to her before he sat down beside her on the sofa. "Can I ask you a question?" She asked him. "How close did you get to the next level? And don't you dare tell me that you don't know what I'm talking about, Michael Danko."_

"_When I was standing next to her that night at her front door, I gave her a kiss goodbye. Jill, I told her earlier that I wasn't going to be seeing her anymore."_

"_But you kissed her?"_

"_Yeah, I did."_

_She didn't say anything for several minutes, but the hurt in her dark eyes spoke volumes. "Can I ask you another question?" She took his fingers in hers. "Do I make you happy? I mean 100 percent happy."_

"_Like I told you the other night, I can't comprehend my life without you in it. You make me very happy. Why would you think otherwise?"_

"_Oh, I can think of a few reasons."_

"_I'm sorry that I've hurt you so badly, Jill," he reached out and brushed her cheek with his fingers._

That night at dinner, Mike noticed that Jill kept watching him as if she was sizing him up. "Are you okay?" He finally asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled, taking a sip of her wine. "I was thinking—"

"About what?"

"So many things. I keep thinking that maybe the fact that you almost slept with her is my fault."

"How can it be your fault? Jill, I'm the one who was acting like an idiot. You didn't do anything wrong."

She remembered Cleve giving her non-verbal coaching so long ago. She'd heard the comments that he made to the bikers. At least she loved Mike. She'd held him in her hand, stroked him as she felt him twitch and pulse in her palm. She knew that she could do this. "I just keep thinking that maybe if I was different—"

"I don't want you to be different, Jill," he smiled at her gently.

"I still know how hurt you are by what happened that night. I feel you tossing and turning at night. Sometimes I hear you calling out my name."

"That wasn't your fault, either."

"I know, but I keep thinking that she had a child. And that night with him was so wonderful," she smiled at the memory.

"When you're ready, we'll try again. And as much fun as it was having Howie with us that night, I was exhausted the next day," he admitted.

"Me, too," she said as they both laughed.

When they got home, Jill went into the top of their bedroom closet while Mike was in the shower. She found the box that she was looking for and took it over to their bed. She hadn't worn it since the first time they'd made love after the restaurant shooting. She ran her hands over the satiny material, loving the feel of it in her fingers. But she really liked the way that it felt on her skin. She liked the way that Mike's fingers felt when they untied the myriad little ribbons that ran down the front of the robe. She removed the gown, robe and panties from the box before returning the box to the closet.

"Wow, what have I done to be deserving of you wearing that?" Mike grinned when he came out of the bathroom.

"You haven't done anything, yet," she ran her fingers down his chest. "When I get out of the shower, we're going to discuss a few things."

"What things?"

"You'll see," she gave him an enigmatic smile before going into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

After getting out of the shower, Jill smoothed her favorite body lotion all over before donning the lingerie that Mike had given her for an anniversary present. She then brushed her hair until it shone, took a deep breath and then walked into the bedroom where Mike was lying on the bed. He smiled at her appreciatively when she crawled up onto the bed next to him. "So, what did you want to talk about?" He asked, finding it difficult to breathe.

"We're going to set a few ground rules from this point forward. You're a friendly guy, Mike. All of my friends love you. There's nothing wrong with being friendly. I like friendly. I _married _friendly. But if you ever so much as spent one second longer with another woman than is absolutely necessary, I'll take a scalpel and—"

"Whoa! I think I get the message. Are we feeling a little possessive?" He gave her a teasing smile.

"Oh, you haven't seen _possessive_ yet." She moved closer to him and kissed him, tracing her tongue over his bottom lip as he opened his mouth to allow her entrance. She deepened the kiss, letting her tongue slide over his before pulling away from him, feeling flushed and more than a little breathless.

She moved away from him when he reached out to pull her to him. He couldn't help giving her a mischievous grin. He lay back, wondering where she was going with this. He felt himself hardening instantly at the look in her eyes. They were dark brown, almost black with desire. She unbuttoned his pajama shirt and slid it off of his arms before going to work on his bottoms and boxers, sliding them down his legs as he lifted up to assist her. She kissed him hungrily once more before she began kissing her way down to his chest, and gradually lower.

Mike sucked in his breath when he felt her wrap her hand around his still growing erection. "Jill," he growled out her name as she tripped her fingers up and down his length.

Jill loved listening to him when she stroked him. He'd growl, hiss, and make other noises that didn't even have names. Just listening to him was enough to make her soaking wet. She just wondered if she should warn him before she took the plunge. She remembered him telling her once that he'd probably come the instant she ever put her mouth on him. He explained it was an involuntary reaction.

He could feel Jill trailing kisses down his torso while she kept stroking him. It was only when those kisses reached his upper thighs that he wondered what in the hell she was doing. The one thing he knew for sure was he didn't want her to stop. "Shit!" He shouted when he felt her swipe the length of him with her tongue. His first instinct was to grab her hair, but she instantly pulled away from him.

After satisfying herself that he wasn't going to grab her hair again, Jill went back to the task at hand. She licked a stripe down the other side of him before slowly taking him into her mouth. She felt him get even harder, so she pulled back and squeezed the base of his cock to stop him from coming. It was only then that she took him back into her mouth.

Mike couldn't stop the noises that were pouring from his mouth as he felt Jill's mouth on him. He clawed at the sheets on either side of him, longing to run his fingers through her hair. It had been a long time since any woman had had her mouth on him and he knew that he wasn't going to last long at this rate. "Jill," he growled her name. "Baby, you need to seriously stop." He reached for her shoulders to get her attention.

She removed her mouth from him and crawled back up to him, kissing him softly. She started to reach for him again, but he quickly stopped her. "Too much?" She guessed, judging by the sweat that was pouring off of him.

"Your turn," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her and flipping her so that she was under him. He quickly removed the robe and gown, leaving her in just the panties. Slipping his fingers inside, he couldn't help grinning at her. "God, you're so wet."

"I need you inside of me right now, Mike," she gasped.

He quickly removed the skimpy panties before plunging into her with one swift thrust, both of them groaning at the sensation. Mouths and hands seemed to be everywhere at once as they moved together, each one matching the other one's thrusts. Jill felt the now familiar sensations coiling deep in her belly, building higher and higher. She bit into Mike's shoulder as she tightened around him, pulsing and fluttering as her climax ripped through her. Her cries were enough to send Mike over the edge, as well, and he spilled deep inside of her.

Jill tenderly caressed Mike's back, shoulders, and neck as he breathed heavily against her shoulder. She loved the warm, not quite crushing weight of him, but she knew that he wouldn't stay there long. Before too long, he slowly rolled over onto his back, his breathing still harsh. "Can I ask . . . something?" He glanced over at his wife, who was also trying to control her own ragged breathing. "Why now?"

"Well, I never said . . . that I didn't know _how_," she propped herself against his shoulder. "I just said that I _didn't_. But, we're married and we love . . . each other."

"Yes, we do," he brushed damp hair from her shoulders.

"So, did you _like_ it?" She couldn't help asking.

"Oh, yeah," he nodded vigorously.

"Good. Just don't ever, _ever _grab my head or my hair. Understand?"

"I got you. Did you _like _doing it?"

She blushed beet red before burying her face against his neck. "Yes, I did," she admitted, her voice muffled against his skin.

"Good. You do know that I understood—" 

"I know. I just decided that it was time. But, make no mistake, Michael Danko. I'm the _only_ woman who ever gets to do that to you. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah. I remember your warning earlier regarding the scalpel. Have I told you lately how completely crazy I am about you?" He caressed her bare shoulder.

"No, but I never get tired of hearing it." 

"Jill Danko, I am completely 100 percent insanely crazy about you," he rolled her over and kissed her as she felt him stirring against her. "But, why waste time on words?"

The next morning Terry and Willie walked into roll call and took their seats on either side of a rather bleary eyed Mike. "Does the way that you look right now have anything to do with the intermittent thumps that I heard against my bedroom wall last night?"

"Could be."

"So, you and Jill are back on track?" Willie asked.

"Oh, we're so back on track," Mike grinned as Terry slapped at him with his notepad.

"I'm glad to hear it because we were going to ask for her in the divorce," Terry warned his friend. "Or, at least, William here was."

"Well, she warned me last night about what would happen if I so much as look at another woman again. Let's just say that a scalpel was mentioned . . . _repeatedly_."

"Ouch," both men said as Lt. Ryker entered the room and all talking ceased.

**A/N #2: So there you have it. Two chapters. Short by my standards, but I never intended to make this very long. Please read and review.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


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